Course Description: EDUC 6114
Introduction to Quantitative Research
Description
The course introduces students to the basic concepts and methods of educational research. Through examination of the scientific process they gain the knowledge and skills to critically review the research literature applying varied designs and analysis methods. Students learn to be informed "consumers" of multiple forms of research applied in education, including the strengths and weaknesses of numerous methods to assist in determining when a specific technique is more appropriate in answering the research question.
The scientific process for the social scientist begins with a research question and often ends with more research questions and few answers. Based on a comprehensive review of the research literature, students examine the tools and techniques used by educational researchers to provide evidence that can inform practice, policy, and future research.
Objectives:
After completing this course, students will be able to:
- give examples of distinguishing characteristics of social science, and its role in science.
- list key attributes of high quality educational research.
- describe the relationship between research questions, hypotheses, and null hypotheses.
- define preliminary criteria for assessing the quality of contents within each section of a typical research article.
- critique the main section of diverse quantitative and qualitative research articles.
